Ellis famously played Lafayette, a short order cook who lived in the supernatural town of Bon Temps, on HBO's "True Blood," across the show's seven seasons.

"We were extremely saddened to hear of the passing of Nelsan Ellis," HBO said in a statement obtained by AccessHollywood.com. "Nelsan was a long-time member of the HBO family whose groundbreaking portrayal of Lafayette will be remembered fondly within the overall legacy of True Blood. Nelsan will be dearly missed by his fans and all of us at HBO."